


Old

by Sadestar



Category: Adventure Time
Genre: Fluff, Fluffy Angst, Gumball retires, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magic, Major Character Undeath?, Marshall Lee has been gone for decades, One-Shot, Science, Vampirism, ansgt, candy people age like humans, major character death but not really, original candy character, vampire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:08:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22534495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sadestar/pseuds/Sadestar
Summary: King Gumball of the candy people in the land of Ooo was reaching the end of his rope; he was old and dying, and he reflects on his life so far. It had been a long and good life, but the absence of his biggest crush brings him sorrow. That is, until the object of his affection is floating in the middle of his bedroom! Maybe he can get a second chance...?(Happy ending I promise!)
Relationships: Prince Gumball/Marshall Lee
Comments: 3
Kudos: 51





	Old

“Are you sure this is what you really want sire?” Butterscotch butler asked, looking up at her king with worry in her eyes.

A soft, kind smile graced Gumball’s lips as he nodded. “Yes, I’m sure. I’ve grown old, Butterscotch, and Princess Gumdrop is doing a fine job managing the kingdom. It’s time that I retire. I wont have long left to live, anyway.” The elderly king said to his servant.

Butterscotch butler, who was just as old as gumball was, if not more so, was still serving the royal family as well as she did in her glory days, and bowed politely to the old king of the candy kingdom. “As you wish, my king.” She replied respectfully. “Is there anything else I can get you?” She asked as she walked to the door.

Gumball shook his head softly and lied down in his bed. “Just be sure to serve Princess Gumdrop well.” He replied as he slowly pulled the covers up. There was a moment where he paused, where he seemed as though he wanted to say more, but the words never got past a thought, and he quietly dismissed the servant.

With a sigh, Gumball turned his head to look at the mirror which stood upon a vanity at the end of his room. He wasn’t at a good angle to see himself but he knew it was obvious he was running out of time. He felt weak, and his complexion was already fading. He wasn’t sure how much pink was left in his skin. With a sigh, he closed his eyes.

Was this really it for him?

The world seemed to move so fast, and in all honesty, he was not ready yet to leave it. It was nerve wracking to think of nothing further than this. His mind raced with memories to combat the empty space he worried of around his head. He recalled watching Fiona and Cake grow up, spending time with them and his many candy subjects. Getting caught by the ice queen over and over again….

Not every memory was particularly pleasant, but it was a full life he’s spent. It was good and had many memories and pleasant encounters, so why did he feel like he was still missing something?

Deep down, he knew why. It was love. He didn’t have many chances at love in the past. Of course he found Fiona attractive, but she was younger than him by 5 years. Now 5 years didn’t seem like much at all, but by the time 5 years wasn’t a problem, she had already moved on from her crush on him.   
What they had was good, he supposed. They always worked better with their classic hero-royalty type relationship. He was fine with it, after all, he still had many duties and responsibilities to attend to, so his time was never lost on it. Fiona seemed rather happy with the Flame prince now, anyway.

But thinking back to those good ol’ days had nostalgia welling up throughout his chest as he thought further and deeper into his memories. He was plunged into some of what was his most bitter-sweet memories....

Marshall Lee…

Gumball looked down towards his feet resting limply at the edge of the bed as his memories cascaded into all the time he had spent with the dark king. Those times were back when he was still a prince, and had the time to mess around with the careless vampire. It was admittedly a lot of fun then, but he hadn’t seen Marshall since the night he had gone back to the Nightosphere.

Peaceful and happy reminiscing faded to a solemn depressed state of mind as Gumball explored further within his own mind, thinking of the vampire and how much time they could have had, if he hadn’t left. Gumball had been so young then, and it felt like he had all the time in the world. How wrong he had been, he wasn’t immortal like Marshall, and to a vampire, his life was probably only a short passing of time. That was probably why when Marshall was here, he had spent so much time trying to get his attention.

Suppressing the welling of tears in his eyes, Gumball pulled his covers over his head and rolled over, curling up into a fetal position. Try as he might, the sorrow of the situation got to him, and tears slowly seeped from his eyes, soaking into the covers beneath his cheek. He hadn’t known back then, but he was in love, and he was too busy to see it. 

“…Marshal..” he murmured in his wallowing, his old voice croaking softly from the effort. “I’m sorry. I wish… We- that we… could see each other again…” 

“Are you okay there, Bubbs?”

The pale pink king jolted, startled at the familiar, haunting voice and shuddered under his blankets. Was it real? Was that really his friend, his old crush Marshall? Surely, he couldn’t actually be here, in his room. It had to be impossible, right? It had to be some trick of the mind, some auditory hallucination. There was no way the king of vampires was really in his room, at his literal deathbed.

But then the bed dipped at one side, the physical proof that this was no hallucination, and that Marshall was truly right there, in his room, on his bed. Gumball could feel the vampire sitting on the edge, and the shifting of the mattress from him leaning over the bundle of covers that Gumball was hidden under. “PG, are you okay? Really, you’re starting to worry me.” Marshall asked, his voice dropping from his usual, laid-back tone. 

Though he couldn’t see it, Gumball could hear the worry in Marshall’s voice, and shook his head gently under the covers. “I-I-I… I’m…. not…” Gumball clenched his eyes shut as he felt his throat closing up at his attempt to speak more. He was so weak, with naught but a bit of energy trickling through his system, and yet still Marshall managed to make his heart race with embarrassment and excitement. His face flushed with what little pigment he had left on his body.

Suddenly Gumball felt the covers getting tugged away and heard Marshall’s voice as he fought to keep himself covered. “C’mon, Bubbs! You can’t just keep hiding like that! Especially after how long I’ve had to wait to see you again!” Marshall teased. 

“No- Ple-ase don’t-!” Gumball’s plea had been cut off as the blanket was taken from his ever-weakening grip, easily flying off of his body and to the foot of the bed. Tired eyes turned to Marshall with tears streaking down his cheeks. “I’m… I’m not… the same, anymore…” he whispered.

The look of pure shock that overtook Marshall was enough to break Gumball’s heart. Fear, frustration, anger, pain, regret… there was so much emotion that clouded Marshall’s eyes, emotions gumball had never seen before. Marshall had the appearance of an abandoned child left in the rain. 

“…you’ve grown old.”

Gumball sighed and nodded, turning some to lay on his back again so that he could properly look up to his old friend. The vampire looked exactly the same. There was no change at all to his appearance, save for his expression. Gumball chuckled weakly at that. “Yes. I’ve… grown quite old. But you… haven’t changed one bit.” He said, a small, weak smile gracing his lips.

Tears started to shine in Marshall’s eyes and Gumball raised a weak hand to his, resting it over the vampire’s hand in a warm gesture. “Its okay. I’m just sorry I couldn’t spend more time with you… Like you always wanted… I see now how little time we had.”

Marshall lowered his head so that his face was hidden from view by his bangs. “So what, you’re just giving up now? You’re just gonna… let yourself… die?” he asked, his voice shaking nearly as much as his shoulders were, and his voice choked on the last word, as though he didn’t want to say it in fear of it becoming reality. 

“What else can I do, Marshall? My life is at its end. I’m just… glad I got to see you again.”

“No!” Marshal suddenly burst out, startling the other king. “I… I can’t… Not you too…” Marshall’s hand grabbed at Gumball’s, holding it up and clasping it in both hands. His face raised to look straight at Gumball again, tears leaking from his eyes as his pleading gaze fell onto the king. “I can’t lose you too… Too many people I’ve loved have grown old and died and I won't be able to handle it if you leave me too.”

Gumball raised a weak hand to Marshall’s cheek to wipe away the tears with a thumb. His hand promptly fell back to the bed, the effort clearly a lot for his weak body. “If there was any other way, I wish I could stay…”

Marshall paused for a moment, statue still if not for the tears rolling down his face now. He slowly regained his ability to move, looking at the hand still clasped between his two, and raising it to his forehead, as though he were praying. It looked very out of place on the vampire. Marshall tried to speak twice, grimacing at his own internal struggle before he finally managed to get out. “There… there is another way…”

“Father?”

Two sets of eyes turned as the door opened, revealing a woman who appeared to be about 18, made of bright purple candy, and wearing a beautiful red and green dress. Resting atop her head was a crown, specifically the one that Gumball used to wear. “What’s going on here?” she asked.

“You have a daughter?!” Marshall said loudly, staring dumbfoundedly at Gumball.

The elderly king laughed. “Marshall, you should meet Princess Gumdrop. This young lady is as smart as I ever was, and takes great care of my kingdom, and the candy people.” He explained, looking to the candy princess affectionately.

Marshall clenched his jaw. “Who did you.. who’s her mother?” he asked, his throat tight.

Gumball chuckled. “Gumdrop was made like all of the other candy citizens. I’ve only added a little of my own candy into her brew to make sure she would be a fair princess. She’s doing well.” He replied, patting the opposite side of his bed. “Come, Gumdrop. I want you to meet Marshall Lee. He’s the king of Vampires, so you two should get to know each other.”

Gumdrop frowned but walked over, sitting on the other side of the bed as the Vampire king and looked over Gumball worriedly. “Father, you shouldn’t be exerting yourself so much. You’ll run out of life force much faster if you do.” She said, worriedly.

Marshall looked away, his expression now cold, and his tears wiped away. “I should go.”

“Please don’t!” Gumball said immediately, reaching out for the vampire who already started to float off the bed. “Please, I… don’t want you to leave.”

Marshall turned to Gumball, but refused to meet his eyes, his own crimson orbs fixed upon the floor. “Don’t ask me to sit here and watch you die. I… I can’t handle that. This. All of this.” He turned around and crossed his arms. “It’s never been like you to just accept things like this! You and Fiona would have never accepted death so easily!” he said, raising his voice till he was yelling, his hands clenching at his arms as he tried to keep himself from transforming.

There was a silence that fell over the room for a while, before Gumball’s voice eventually broke the silence. “Gumdrop, please leave me to deal with this on my own.”

“But fa-”

“No buts! I trust Marshall. You should too. Let me talk to him. Alone.”

There was a silence before the princess nodded, rose to her feet, and walked out.

There was a silence again after the door closed and Gumball turned to Marshall. “I don’t have much time left. You said there was… some other way?” he asked, bringing up the subject before they were interrupted.

Marshall turned back around, facing the prince while floating just before his bed, both arms wrapped around himself while he still refused to look Gumball in the eyes. “It’s... not very safe, especially with how weak you are…” he muttered hesitantly.

“Well at least tell me what it is. I grow weaker by the minute.” Gumball deadpanned.

Marshall bit his lip. “Okay, okay. I was thinking… well, if you are okay with it, I could… uh, Turn… you…” he said, the lightest dusting of a blush dusting over the undead’s features, surprising gumball. He hadn’t known that was possible. 

It took a moment before the words sunk in, and Gumball smiled warmly at the other king. “Well, sure.”

Marshall’s demeanor shifted from shy to angry in a snap, “Sure!? Are you kidding me? You could die!” Marshall snapped, his face contorted with the great many emotions he had surging through him, doubtlessly fueling the outburst. 

Gumball looked at him with a calm and controlled expression. “It’s a chance between living and dying tonight, versus the default option of death.” he deadpanned. 

Marshall looked taken aback. Hearing the situation was somehow worse than just seeing it.He grimaced before shaking his head, clutching at his chest while floating a little higher, away from the candy king. “I.. I can’t. I-I mean, I want to try, but if you died… because of my bite… I can’t-- I caused it…”

Gumball’s brows furrowed and against his body’s weakening state, he forced himself up into a sitting position to properly address the Vampire. “Marshall. I am already dying. If I die from a bite it’s not going to be because you bit me. You are trying to save me, and if it doesn't work, that’s my fault for letting myself become so weak in the first place. The point is… There’s a chance.”

The vampire king looked torn and hovered a little closer. “I… okay.” He muttered softly. There was a shift again in his demeanor, slower this time, as his shoulder fell and he resigned to what he was about to do. 

Hesitantly, Marshall wrapped his arms around gumball to help support him, knowing that the other king will go limp in his arms during this, and dropped his head to the pink king’s shoulder. He didn’t bite, not at first, and just held Gumball, his forehead resting on the faded pink shoulder. 

Sensing the Vampire king’s inner turmoil, Gumball turned his head to give him a soft kiss along the gray skinned temple. “It’s okay.” he murmured, so softly that there was barely a voice. “Please.”

Blinking back tears, Marshall raised his head just so, letting his lips part slowly to expose his fangs to the neck before him. Gently, they tapped against the delicate, barely-pink skin of the candy king hesitating at the prospect of exactly what he was about to do. He was about to physically bite Gumball, and that was new. Sure, he had drained the pink coloration from him sometimes, but he had never let his fangs pierce.

Now he knew he had to room for mistakes, and the pressure was unbearable. He could feel a gentle hand stroke his back and with a heave of a sob, he pressed his teeth against the skin just a little harder. It wasn’t difficult for his fangs to sink into the delicately thin skin, like a sharpened kitchen knife against damp paper. He felt Gumball lean his head to the side, both hearing and feeling the soft, throaty groan escaping gumball’s throat at the bite. 

Terrified, but empowered from the sound, Marshall was determined to do this right, and with all his focus, Marshall used all of his ability to turn Gumball into a vampire. The process was strenuous on both of them. Marshall had to support all of Gumball’s weight and energy needs as he turned him, on the account that Gumball had grown so weak. It seemed like an internal or spiritual power struggle between draining the life force and keeping it there enough to keep Gumball from dying prematurely, and Marshall’s dark magic can only do so much. 

The flow of energy was a tug of war, to and fro. Gumball, predictably, went limp early in the process, passing out from the draining of his innate life force. One of Marshall’s hands flew to Gumball’s chest. He couldn’t see the draining of the pink from the prince’s body, but he could practically feel the way Gumball’s colors turned gray and cold. In the returning effort, Gumball Forced his magic to wake up along his arms and flow from them and into Gumballs’ body. 

This continued for a while, but eventually, Marshall knew he had to let go. The life force and color had run dry down his mouth, and as he pulled away, Gumball’s body fell limp in his arms. Marshall’s eyes were immediately drawn to the perfect set of bite marks on Gumball’s neck. There was no reaction from the Gumball, now drained of color and life, and with trembling arms, Marshall pulled him into his arms.

For the rest of the night and late into the morning, after the sun had risen and faded lights filtered into the room from the curtains, Marshall held Gumball’s, trembling, sobbing, praying to the deepest bowels of the Nightosphere that he would wake up. Eventually, there was a knock at the door from a servant here to check on Gumball’s condition. 

“Go away!” Marshall shouted at the door, grief still clawing at his long dead heart. 

There was a rustling from the door before it burst open with a worried maid at the front, two other servants following her in with worry. There was a gasp from the servants as they saw the vampire hunched over their King, and when the maid in front recognized what Marshall was, she screamed. 

“M-monster!”

“He has King Gumball!” one of the servants behind the maid shouted. “Guards! Get him away from our king!”

“No!” Marshall screeched back at them, his eyes glowing fiercely in his frantic behavior. “He’s mine!” He screamed hoarsely. Three guards had ran in, but paused in fear from the sheer power of Marshall’s presence, before they started to run towards him anyway.

“You are a monster! You can not have our beloved King!” One guard yelled at him. “Begone, foul creature of darkness!”

Marshall hissed at them, wings rapidly ripping from his shirt and stretching outward from his back. He started to transformation into his bat-like form, screeching at the guards. “Stay away from my Prince Gumball!” he screeched out again, his voice deep and scratchy, breaking a little as he spoke. What the guards wouldn't pick up on was the pain in his voice, even as he held Gumball with one arm and the other fending off the attacks of the guards with the aid of his wings.

“Look! The king’s color is gone! He’s been killed!” One of the servants screeched in terror from the back, pointing at the limp body in Marshall’s arms.

This phrase caused Marshall to freeze for a moment and all of his insecurities about that night had come crashing back down on him. He killed Gumball, the man that he would, admittedly, had the greatest attachment to since his life as a vampire had begun. Gumball had died, and it was all his fault. There was nothing he could do, and now he will forever be seen as an enemy to the candy people. A killer. A monster. 

In his moment of weakness, one of the guards opened the curtains to the window, allowing unfiltered sunlight into the room. Pain suddenly coursed through Marshall’s body as the rays streaked across his wings, causing him to screech out in pain. Marshall’s body warped as the wing of his bat-like form was injured, hissing and shrinking back to his usual form, where he remained hunched over Gumball’s body. Thankfully, he was no longer in the sunlight, but there were severe burns all along his back and left side.

The guards went in to attack once the enemy was down, and they nearly got to the vampire king when an effeminate, strong-willed voice rang out above the others. “Stop it, All of you!”

From the doorway, Princess Gumdrop stood calmly, hands clasped in front of her and her gaze a fiery confidence as she looked over the guards and servants in the room. “How dare you all make such a ruckus up here! This is King Gumball’s room, and all of you are making a mess of it.” She scolded.

“But this monster killed our king!” One of the servants cried out in sorrow.

Gumdrop looked over Marshall’s form, examining how he was hunched over her father’s lifeless form. A frown settled on her features before she turned to her people. “This is no monster. This is Marshall Lee, King of the Vampires. He was a dear friend to my father, and you all attacked him for mourning his friend. Shame on you. Shame on all of you.” She scolded further.

Everyone seemed shocked at her words, and all bowed their heads in the shame she bestowed upon them. With a huff, Princess Gumdrop stepped aside from the door and pointed out of it. “Get out. I am going to talk to him. Alone.” Gumdrop said, keeping a fixed look on all of her subjects in the room. 

Everyone started to file out of the room, though Butterscotch Butler waited as the last servant in the room, having arrived with Princess Gumdrop. She looked at the princess with worry. “Are you sure this is a good idea, your majesty?” the butler asked.

Gumdrop shook her head. “I can’t be sure, but I have to know what’s going on. Vampires are solitary creatures, so I won’t be able to talk to him unless I’m alone with him.” She said. As her butler started to speak again Gumdrop cut her off. “I am aware of the danger, and I am okay with it. Now please, leave us be.”

With a lot of hesitancy, the candy butler left, leaving only royalty left in the room.

Letting her strict demeanor fall, Princess Gumdrop walked over to where Marshall was hunched over her father. He had not moved, though she could see his body was already working hard to heal the burns he had sustained. With a concerned expression written all over her face, she gently crouched to get a better look at the Vampire’s grief-stricken face. “Are you okay?” she asked the dark king in a soft voice, kneeling down to be at eye level with him.

After a long silence, Marshall finally spoke up, his voice trembling. “No. I… He’s… it’s all my fault.” He whispered back, refusing to look up.

Gumdrop patted him on his shoulder, where she could see no visible burns. She could feel him flinch, but was relieved when he didn’t try to pull away from the contact.

“Would you tell me what happened?” Gumdrop asked.

Marshall hugged Gumball’s body closer and allowed a sob to come from him. “I tried. He wanted me to try. We… I tried to turn him. We tried to make him a vampire. I just…. I wasn’t strong enough.” Marshall admitted, his voice no stronger than a feather, and fragile as a sheet of ice.

There was a quiet moment before Gumdrop placed a hand over one of Marshall’s. “Well, I’m glad you tried. I may not know much about how vampires work, but I’m glad you were there for him.” She said in what she hoped was a reassuring voice. “If I may ask, how does this usually occur? The turning of one into a vampire?”

Marshal was silent for a while. “I… don’t really know.” He mumbled. “I’ve seen it happen once or twice, and I’ve been told about it before... but I’ve never done it myself. They would… the victim would die… and then be back. I just don’t remember how. Maybe I messed up. Maybe it’s different for Candy People…”

Gumdrop leaned down some to try and look at Marshall better before pulling away some. “Maybe I can help.” She suggested. “Gumball taught me a lot about how to care for the candy people. Even how to make them. Maybe I can do something to help him come back, if only just a little.”

There was a deep sigh from the vampire before he finally looked up, his red eyes bloodshot and bags forming under them from the sheer effort exerted from his grief. “No, its okay. I…” The dark king choked on his voice, before wiping his face to clear it of tears. “I have to learn to live with this. Like I have to learn to live with everyone else who’ve died. Everyone in this world grows old and dies before me…” His words were solemn, and princess Gumdrop could just feel from the tone of his voice that he had truly given up. That he was resigned to live with the misery that’s fallen upon him.

Gumdrop’s eyes sparkled with worry, and she gasped when Gumball’s body was placed in front of her at the edge of the bed by trembling, gentle hands. Marshall wouldn’t look at her at all, but started to move away, already floating off. “I’m… sorry for your loss.” he croaked, before turning around. 

Princess Gumdrop looked fondly down at her father as his body rested before her before she realized the vampire king was leaving. “Marshall wait!” she cried out. Though it was already too late, the Vampire had already disappeared. Where he went, she couldn’t tell. It was broad daylight right now. Still though, she hoisted Gumball’s body into her arms and made her way to the lab.

After laying the grayed out prince on a table, she watched him for any signs for potential resurrection. For hours there were none, and while she took minute samples to try various tests, including the un-zombify potion Gumball once made, nothing yielded any results.

Finally, late in the afternoon, Gumdrop was nearly ready to give up. She sighed and put her beakers away, before recalling something she from deep in her memory. A story… from a book, a long time ago. Quickly, she scrambled about the room, covering Gumball’s body and slipping of the doors, making sure to lock them first before racing her way to the library tower in the castle.

When she entered the library, she scoured it for a particular book she recalled about a vampire. There were a few that were already out, since she had been reading up about them since meeting the vampire king, but now she was looking for something in particular. Finally, she found the book, something Gumball had read to her when she was just a child, and pulled it out from the shelf. 

Curiously, a photo dropped from between the books and when she picked it up, she saw a picture of Gumball when he was much younger, with the two hero’s she had come to know, Fiona and Cake, with Marshall and Lord Monochromicorn in the background. While they were standing on opposite sides of the photo, the image captures Marshall looking at Gumball in a way that seemed utterly lonely, and longing. 

Princess Gumball picked the photo up and moved to return it on the shelf, before realizing that the book it was next to was a simple journal with no label. Slowly, she slid the old book from the shelf, flipping it open to get a glimpse at it. The journal turned out to belong to Prince Gumball from some collection of decades prior. There were many tales in it about Fiona, Cake, and the Ice Queen, and later in it, writings about Marshall. As she flipped through it she learned how long and how deeply Gumball had pined over and longed to be with Marshall more, but was unable to bring himself to speak up about it. At the end of the book, were several pages lamenting on Marshall leaving, and how long he had been gone. 

With a heavy heart, she places Gumball’s photo into the journal, closed it and stacked it on top of the other book she had grabbed. With a swift turn of her heel, she brought both books back to her lab and placed them onto her desk. With renewed vigor over her task, she quickly flipped through the published book, an old children’s book about a lonely vampire who would seem to be evil but did nice things for people instead. She fondly recalled the story in it about the vampire draining the red coloration out of an apron, turning it white, much to the delight of the apron’s owner. 

Princess Gumdrop flipped through the pages and read the words of the story very carefully, and after a few times of re-reading it, she closed it and returned to her beakers. With a newfound confidence, she quickly unpacked them again and got back to work. There were several tries and attempts, but soon enough, with several vials she worked hard on, she finally had a set of new concoctions. After messing with them just a little more, she finally had a bright, bright red liquid concentrated in a small vial. 

With a deep breath, princess Gumball returned to the king and gently uncovered his body from the blanket and put on a set of gloves. Carefully, she poured just a drop of the bright red liquid onto her finger and pressed the drop to the lips of the dead king. At first there was no reaction, but she slowly started to add more drops of the liquid, delighted to see some color returning to the king’s body. Eventually, she found the confidence to put the vial to his mouth and slowly pour the rest of it in.

Vibrant, red-purple eyes snapped open only a few seconds later, pupils rapidly dilating and constricting back as a hand flew up to cover the king’s face. Gumball Gumball sat up slowly and carefully removed the cover from his now-sensitive eyes. There was a slow moment of processing before recognition slowly overcame the king’s features. “The lab…” He muttered softly, his voice hoarse. 

“F-father?” Princess Gumdrop asked hesitantly.

Gumball turned to her, just now realizing that she was in the room as well. He blinked in confusion, looking down at his body that was currently sitting on one of the lab’s tables. His skin was tight again, rather than wrinkled texture it had prior, but it was all a dull gray. As he continued to examine his own body, he found that as far as he could see the color and texture had taken over all of his body. “What…. Oh glob—where’s Marshall?!” He said in a panic. Everything was hard to process, but he knew what he had to check, first and foremost. 

Gumdrop hastily put her equipment away and turned back to Gumball, who was looking around frantically. “Father! it’s been nearly a whole day since he came. He bit you last night and you weren’t responsive since! I couldn’t stop him so he left.” She explained as she cleaned.

Gumball’s eyes widened. “He thinks he killed me.” He said, immediately piecing together the situation. He quickly moved to stand but fumbled a bit as his body’s movement was strange even to himself. Before he knew it, he was floating at an odd angle. “ah- globit. How do I..?” it took him a while before he could get his feet back on the ground, but he turned to Princess Gumball. “I need to go see him.” He said. 

There was a strong conviction in Gumball’s words, but it was interrupted by him kneeling over to the sound of a growling stomach.

Gumdrop perked up at the sound and looked around for a moment. “wait, I got it!” she suddenly said. “Wait just a moment, you’ve gotta eat before going out.” She said before rummaging through the whole lab. 

A short time later she finally rose from one of the cabinets with a large, folded red blanket and held it out to Gumball. On top there was a red candy apple. “try sucking the red from these” she offered.

Gumball looked at her. “How do you-“

“You read a story to me when I was little, about a vampire who was scary but helpful.” Gumdrop replied with an enthusiastic grin.

Gumball let a small smile grace his features before picking up the apple. “now how should I..” he brought it to his mouth as though he were going to eat it and paused, pulling it away to feel at his new fangs. He hadn’t even realized that he had any at first. That was… very strange. Before long, he pressed his fangs against it and tried to suck. It was a strange sensation to suck without actually sucking, but it seemed to work as the red drained and he felt his hunger sate a little.

Next he picked up the blanket and tried again, draining it until it was all white. When he was done, he felt great, and took a deep breath as he reveled in this new onslaught of feelings.

When he looked back to Gumdrop he wilted just a little in his feelings and recalled what he had to do. With a worried expression, he looked at her. “What time is it?”

Gumdrop chuckled nervously and shrugged, anxiously fumbling with some of her tools whens he realized she never looked at the time during all of this. “I… Don’t know. I think its past sundown?” She replied.

Gumball paid her nerves no mind and smiled at her anyway. “Thank you. Tell the kingdom I’ve passed peacefully and that I’ve been buried. You’ll be a great ruler, but now I have something else to do with my life.” He said. Before he left, he raised her chin and kissed her gently on the forehead. With a quick hug, he left the lab.

The Princess watched as the candy man who created and raised her set out, and she’d probably never see him again. With a deep breath, she prepared to deal with this amongst the entire kingdom. A heartbreaking second later, the weight of the entire situation came crashing down and she hurried to her room until she was absolutely needed. 

Gumball sprinted as fast as he could, but to his dismay, he still grew tired. “if only I knew how to fly like he does.” He groaned. There were several attempts to fly on Gumball’s part, but most failed. Sometimes he hovered, and used that for a lot of his traveling, and after a lot of struggle, he finally made it across the lands of Ooo and to Marshall's cave. Upon entering the cave, he sprinted to the vampire King’s door and banged on it ruthlessly.

There was no answer for a few minutes, and with growing impatience, Gumball forced his way in. “Marshall! Marshall!?” he called out, disparity in his voice. Still, there was no reply. Starting to panic, Gumball climbed his way up to the vampire’s bedroom. “where are you...” he added with a little less effort, the words spoken to himself more than anything else. 

When he opened the hatch-door to Marshall’s room, everything was dark, and it looked like the place was still abandoned as it was since Gumball had last broken in. While he wasn’t proud of it, that was something he did after Marshall went back to the nightosphere for a while. Sighing, Gumball picked his way through the various objects, only seeing a few things had changed since he last looked.

Gumball ground and dropped to the floor, wrapping his arms around his knees and resting his head on it. He felt like crying, but no tears would come. Thanks to that silence though, he was able to tell when a sound came from downstairs. Scrambling to the hatch that led out of the room, Gumball threw the door open just in time to see Marshall’s hand that was about to open it. There was a pause in time as he looked down and saw Marshall’s face looking up. Shock, guilt, fear, and sorrow each flashed on the dark king’s face when he saw Gumball, now transformed as he was. 

There was a tense moment as Gumball leaned back to allow Marshall to float up into the room, but as soon as he was past the trap door’s frame, Gumball reached up and hugged the dark king around the shoulders. The vampire king was shocked, to the point where he didn’t return the hug for more than 2 minutes.

Gumball felt his nightshirt grow wet under Marshall’s face, and he could hear the faintest croaking of a voice as he pulled away from him. “B-Bubbs?” Marshall asked, his voice giving away just as much as his face that he could hardly believe it. Tears were running down his cheeks without end, and there was no emotion held back. All of the disgusting sorrow was open to see, not that Gumball minded. 

Gumball pulled Marshall back into another hug with a great big smile on his face. “Yes, yes it me. I’m right here.” he said softly. After a moment, Gumball leaned back to look into Marshall’s eyes, wiping away the tears tenderly. “It's really me. Gumdrop helped me wake up. I’m so happy I got to see you again! And I never have to go back to being stuck with princely or kingly duties again, I’m only yours now!” Gumball explained, before lurching forward and planting his lips on Marshall’s. 

Marshall was in a state of shock, but quickly wrapped his arms back around Gumball and kissed him back feverishly. There was a moan, though neither could figure out who it came from, and when they separated, Gumball looked up at Marshall with adoring eyes. “I’ve been waiting to do that for decades.” he muttered. 

Marshall blushed hard, though it only appeared as a dusting on his gray cheeks, and he gave Gumball a quick kiss in return before pulling back again, his scarlet eyes skimming up and down the ex-candy king. “Bubba, you… have you seen yourself? You’re… beautiful.” Marshall said, floating backwards a little.

Gumball blinked and looked over himself curiously, instinctively glancing at a mirror but finding the effort in vain. Awkwardly he turned back to Marshall and gave a cute shrug. “I.. I haven't, really. How do I look?” he asked, standing up and taking a step back. 

Even with his arms out in invitation, Gumball felt a little nervous as he watched Marshall’s scarlet eyes roam along his body. Marshall hovered above the ground, his appreciative stare turning into a leer. “You look amazing, Bubbs. Your skin might not be pink anymore but it's still so pretty, and your hair is this gorgeous dark pink-purple color, and kinda spiky too now. But your eyes… oh Bubba, your eyes are the most gorgeous things I’ve ever seen in my life. They are an iridescent purple with this ruby-glaze overtop, and I could lose myself in them for eons.” 

Gumball blushed, much harder than Marshall was capable of, and covered his face with his hands. He folded in on himself upon hearing Marshall’s next comment. “Bet you’d look even more stunning in some of my clothes” 

Gumball raised his flushed face to look at Marshall again, and stomped over to him, grabbing him by the front of his plaid shirt and pulling him close for another quick kiss. “Then get me some.” he muttered, before grinning. “Also, I’m very proud of you. You did it. I’m here, yours, forever.” 

Marshall practically melted on top of gumball and hugged him close. “I’ll totally get you some nice clothes, but for now… lets just... live like this for a while. Just us.” He murmured into Gumball’s shoulder.

Gumball couldn’t disagree, and gave Marshall a tight squeeze in response. When they pulled away, Gumball fell to the ground, and winced as his looked up at Marshall, who laughed a little and offered a hand to help him up. “I gotta show you how to use your new vampire abilities first though, don’t I?” 

Gumball laughed in reply, nodding while reaching up and grabbing his now-boyfriend’s hand. “yeah, it was a pain to get here without knowing how to fly.” He replied with a grin, letting himself be pulled up into the air again. 

Marshall burst out laughing and made for the trap door. “No time like the present! We can practice in this cave as long as it takes!” he declared. 

Gumball grinned as he was practically dragged out of the makeshift house. This was perfect. This was the promise to a new start.


End file.
